“Here’s a secret,” writes chef Scott Clark, founder of Dad’s Luncheonette in Half Moon Bay, in his upcoming cookbook, “Coastal” (Chronicle Books, due out March 4).
“Dad’s is a vegetarian restaurant that serves a hamburger.”
How can that be?
“We have this thing that everyone wants, and then we have all this other stuff people don’t know they want, and those are the vegetables,” he says. “If you make them right, people come back for them.”
The mushrooms are grown in hoop houses nearby, then charred to pack in plenty of flavor, backbone and texture, giving them the oomph of a beef patty.
Hen of the Woods Sandwich
Makes 1 sandwich
INGREDIENTS
Toast:
1 tablespoon ghee
2 slices good-quality white bread
Mushroom:
3½ ounces Hen of the Woods mushrooms
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
1½ tablespoons ghee, preferably homemade
2 or 3 slices sharp Cheddar cheese
1 large egg
Related Articles
TasteFood: Make this triple onion dip from scratch
No eggs? Aquafaba to the rescue!
The joys of that Chez Panisse darling, rosy radicchio — and how to cook it at home
Beat the cold with this smoky, spicy stew
Blueberries bring fruity tartness to this streusel-topped German cake
Sandwich:
1 tablespoon mustardy sauce of choice
2 lettuce leaves
Pickled red onions for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Make the toast: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the ghee. Add the bread and toast it, without flipping, until golden and crunchy on one side only, 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.
“Coastal: 130 Recipes from a California Road Trip” by Scott Clark of Dad’s Luncheonette with Betsy Andrews and Cheyenne Ellis (Chronicle Books, $35) is out March 4. (Courtesy Chronicle Books)
Heat a grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the mushroom with salt and pepper, then add it to the pan and drop in the ghee. When the ghee is melted, spoon it over the mushroom, basting it until it’s golden brown and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the mushroom and use a spatula to press it into the pan. Move the mushroom to the side of the pan and top it with the cheese. Crack the egg into the open space in the pan and cook it until the white is set, and the cheese has melted, 1½ to 2 minutes. Flip the egg and kill the heat.
For the sandwich, spread about 1 tablespoon of your sauce of choice on the untoasted sides of the bread. Add the lettuce and some pickled onions. Top one slice with the mushroom. Top it with the egg. Close the sandwich and cut it in half to serve.
Excerpted from “Coastal: 130 Recipes from a California Road Trip” by Scott Clark with Betsy Andrews, © 2025. Published by Chronicle Books. Photographs © Cheyenne Ellis.
For more food and drink coverage
follow us on Flipboard.
